MAHMADAMIN MAHMADAMINOV (Tajikistan) said today’s unprecedented global challenges threaten the very foundation of the world order and principles of international relations, as well as undermining efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.  The United Nations must continue to coordinate the efforts of Member States to enhance the resilience of countries to respond to modern challenges.  Full implementation of the 2030 Agenda, Addis Ababa Action Agenda and Paris Agreement on climate change is required to address socioeconomic problems that are the main drivers of extremism and terrorism, he said.

He went on to stress that efforts to eradicate terrorism should focus on the elimination of military infrastructure of international terrorism, depriving it of support, as well as the prevention of information and communications technology (ICT) for radicalization, recruitment and propaganda.  In May, Tajikistan convened the “Countering Terrorism and Preventing Violent Extremism” conference to discuss those issues.  The United Nations must also remain a critical platform for achieving consensus on the main issues of international security.  He also called for a comprehensive settlement and post‑conflict rehabilitation in Afghanistan targeted at economic recovery.  His country is willing to take part in that process by connecting the transport arteries of the two countries with an “energy bridge” that provides the Afghan population with essential commodities and training specialists.

There are early signs that countries are not on track to reach the Sustainable Development Goals, he said, urging that the means of implementation of those goals be strengthened, especially for developing countries.  National development efforts also need to be supported by enabling international economic development with revitalized international trade and investments.  Regarding Sustainable Development Goal 6, several events in 2017 had contributed to the advancement of the water agenda, including the joint United Nations and Tajikistan high‑level international conference on the Water Decade in Dushanbe in June.  Following the success of that conference, Tajikistan will submit a draft proposal to the General Assembly on the mid‑term review of the implementation of the International Decade for Action “Water for Sustainable Development”, this fall.